Device for reducing the oxidation of food products

Abstract

Provided is a device for treating a food product in order to reduce or eliminate the detrimental effects of the presence of oxygen which is in contact with the external surface of the product. The device includes a vat provided with a hood, containing a food product whose free surface is in contact with the atmospheric air, a solid electrolyte membrane, each face of the membrane being connected to an electrode, each electrode being connected to a current generator, a heater for making the electrolyte operate at the desired working temperature, a pump for discharging oxygen extracted, by the solid electrolyte, from the atmospheric air present above the food product, in a pipe, a pump for circulating the atmosphere to be treated, an oxygen analyzer for measuring the oxygen level in the gas atmosphere above the food product, a control unit for modifying the operation of the solid electrolyte as a function of the oxygen level and the gas atmosphere to be treated and the recirculation rate of the atmosphere and, optionally, a cooling unit.

What is claimed is:  
     
       1. Device for treating a food product in order to reduce or eliminate the detrimental effects of the presence of oxygen which is in contact with the external surface of the product, comprising a vat provided with a hood, containing a food product whose free surface is in contact with the atmospheric air, a solid electrolyte membrane, each face of the membrane being connected to an electrode, the electrodes being connected to a current generator; a heating means for making the electrolyte operate at the desired working temperature, a pump for discharging oxygen extracted, by the solid electrolyte, from the atmospheric air present above the food product, in a pipe, a pump for circulating the atmosphere to be treated, a means for measuring the oxygen level in the gas atmosphere above the food product, a control means for modifying the operation of the solid electrolyte as a function of the oxygen level in the gas atmosphere to be treated and the recirculation rate of the atmosphere and, optionally, a means for cooling the treated atmosphere. 
     
     
       2. Device according to claim  1 , further comprising means for filtrating grease and impurities and means for absorbing grease and impurities. 
     
     
       3. Device according to claim  1 , wherein the food product is an edible-oil. 
     
     
       4. Device according to claim  3 , wherein the edible-oil is a frying-oil. 
     
     
       5. Device according to claim  1 , wherein the solid electrolyte comprises at least one doped ceramic oxide. 
     
     
       6. Device according to claim  5 , wherein the doped ceramic oxide is selected from the group consisting of zirconia (ZrO 2 ), thoria (ThO 2 ), cerium oxide (CeO 2 ), hafnium oxide HfO 2 ) and bismuth oxide (Bi 2 O 3 ), doped with one more oxides selected from the group consisting of magnesium oxide (MgO), yttrium oxide (Y 2 O 3 ), calcium oxide (CaO), lanthanum oxide (La 2 O 3 ), ytterbium oxide (Yb 2 O 3 ), strontium oxide (SrO), scandium oxide (Sc 2 O 3 ) and barium oxide (BaO). 
     
     
       7. Device according to claim  6 , wherein the doped ceramic oxide is selected from the group consisting of ZrO 2  stabilized with Y 2 O 3  (YSZ), ZrO 2  stabilized with CaO, ZrO 2  stabilized with Sc 2 O 3 , Bi 2 O 3  stabilized with Y 2 O 3  (BY), CeO 2  stabilized with Y 2 O 3 , CeO 2  stabilized with CaO and ThO 2  stabilized with Y 2 O 3 . 
     
     
       8. Device according to claim  1 , wherein the solid electrolyte comprises at least one BIMEVOX derivative. 
     
     
       9. Device according to claim  8 , wherein the BIMEVOX derivative is a compound of formula (II): 
       
         
           (Bi 2 O 2 )(V 1−y M′ y O 2 )  (II)  
         
       
       in which M′ represents a transition metal selected from the group consisting of zinc, copper, manganese, nickel, cobalt, iron and cadmium, and y is greater than or equal to approximately 0.05 and less than or equal to approximately 0.5. 
     
     
       10. Device according to claim  9 , wherein the BIMEVOX derivative is Bi 2 Co 0.1 V 0.9 O 5.35 .